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DSLR with Video Capabilities?

OhHeyThereBen

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Hey all,

I did a quick search on here to see if I could find something, but haven't searched too thoroughly... so I hope this wasn't already talked about on here.

My wife and I are looking into purchasing a camera. We want it mostly for pictures and are set on a DSLR, but would also be interested in shooting video. Do the cheaper DSLRs shoot decent video or would we need to jump up a bit on the price range to get something that would be acceptable at both? Any recommendations?

Again, we're just talking DSLRs. I'm sure there are great video cameras and auto-zooms out there, but we like the features of DSLRs for taking pictures.

Thanks!
 
The Nikons have better CCDs for still pictures at this point, but Canon has better video autofoucs and better outdoor lenses. In DSLRs the lenses are more important than the body (think $1500 scope on a $500 rifle) so I would start with the type of photos/videos you will be taking, find the right lenses for that type of work and then pick the matching DSLR body in your budget range.
 
I have the Canon T5i. Its a great DSLR for being easy to use and shooting good video.
My one regret is how loud it is for taking still images, so its not a great camera for wildlife photography. However, video is silent and quality is good.
I would avoid the very entry level DSLRs, the cameras/video in most phones are very good these days, so no sense in shelling out cash for a DSLR that gives you the same quality as your phone. (and isn't handy).
Just my two cents.

What application is it for if you dont mind me asking?
 
I would think hard about the with a Sony mirrorless. They take great video and images. They are smaller and more compact. We had went the DSLR route, but we have abandoned that idea and over the last two years have added Sony mirrorless cameras. Way better for the use outdoor enthusiasts have.

Links to Sony

A6500 - https://amzn.to/2Lg6j29


A6300 - https://amzn.to/2JwgZVq (great price for all utility and features)


You would be surprised at how much of our footage is from these new mirrorless cameras. If we could find better audio solutions, there is a good chance we would do even more with them.
 
Thanks guys. We're just wanting a camera that can document our adventures better than our phones.

Right now we haven't really set a budget and can save up more for a nicer camera if it's worth the extra money. My wife is the one that knows a lot more about cameras, but I figured I'd put this out here for some advise from you guys. What do you use?

Mully - The T5i is one that I was looking at because of the price. You do get pretty good video out of something like that? It would leave more room in our budget for some nicer glass to add to it.

That A6300 looks like a good one Randy. I think we could possibly swing that. Any recommendations on lenses? Stopped through Big Falls on our way up to Kabetogama a couple of weeks ago and did some shopping at the Hardware Hank. It's incredible how they can pack just about anything you'd need into a store the size of a bedroom.
 
Any recommendations on lenses?

It really is driven by how much quality you need. If you just want better than your phones the bar is not very high and there are a number of $350ish Uni-body “super zoom” cameras that you might like (for example https://www.amazon.com/PANASONIC-Camera-Megapixels-20-1200mm-F2-8-5-9/dp/B01MS16V42). These will be cheaper, smaller and easier than the budget DSLRs with crappy kit lenses (although with less quality than the DSLRs).

If you want high quality, you need to consider zoom needs, aperature needs and glass quality. You have “kit lenses” that are mediocre in quality and poor regarding aperture. Then there is typically a mid level glass/aperture and than there is “professional” grade glass with apertures in the 1.8 to 2.8 range depending on zoom. If you are in this space, pick lens first and then body. But you are talking $1500+ lenses that are big and bulky. 2 of them probably cover the most common use cases.

FWIW- if you are interested in professional or prosumer level quality I would pursue the high end DSLR lens path with a mid-tier body. If you want some thing handy that will be way better than your iphones I would go with the Panasonic referenced above for $300 and call it a day. I find the entry level mirror-less
or DSLRs with kit lenses are not a great value - they add significant cost and complexity with modest quality improvements over the $300-$450 uni-body super zooms.
 
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How about photo capabilities? I'd love to take night sky photos and those cool campfire/headlamp photos at some point. Is the shutter speed adjustable on super zooms?
 
How about photo capabilities? I'd love to take night sky photos and those cool campfire/headlamp photos at some point. Is the shutter speed adjustable on super zooms?

It should have a “manual” mode for that but would need to dig into specific specs. If you haven’t had an expensive camera before, at $300 it might be a good first step. If it meets your needs then you saved some money and complexity, if I doesn’t meets your needs you will then have a much better idea of what capabilities you need and it is still a good backup camera for when you don’t want to drag along the big DSLR setup.
 
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How about photo capabilities? I'd love to take night sky photos and those cool campfire/headlamp photos at some point. Is the shutter speed adjustable on super zooms?

For low light, the Sony's are best. A7s is geared toward video. A7r is more geared to photography. Both take excellent pictures. Canon 70d is still a great go-to for all around photography and video. But, the Sony's really shine in low light situations.
 
IMO the mirrorless cameras are superior in all aspects to DSLRs. If I were going to be upgrading or buying new, that's the route I'd go. One word of caution about the super-zoom point and shoot is that all the ones I've used have a focus lock that is set when you begin recording. Some may have the ability to manually adjust focus without beginning a new a clip but mine doesn't. It's a pain if you are seriously into videoing and want to be able to catch action without a ten second wait when you see your focus isn't perfect.
 
I've got a D5000 and D7000 Nikon. I think they both take videos but I haven't tried them. I have a brother that has, I think, a D800 and he take's a lot of video's with it and they are very nice. Of course he's been a photographer all his life, helps to know what your doing. I've been thinking about getting a video camera for shooting my dogs. I think if the DSLR was really all that good for movies, no one could sell vieo camera's any more and they do! Imagine Gone With the Wind being done with a DSLR video program!

So, I would recommend getting a camera made for shooting videos as to more designed for stills! If you were changing oil on your car would you use motor oil or Mazola corn oil? They are both oil!
 
Good point Don. Although I'm not really looking for the best of both worlds. Moreso looking for something that takes nice pictures and wondering if it's possible to get a camera that can do that as well as decent video.
 
Actually video shot with Dslr’s and mirrorless camera’s tend to be very high in quality since the lenses often used allow for shallow depth of field and highly saturated colors. From an artistic standpoint dslrs are superior in quality but they are not as user friendly for ease of use. Most don’t have as good of steady shot, anti-shake compensation as video cameras do. Plan on shooting video from a tripod or other static rests for food quality.
 
One more thing. Your apparently not making a living with your camera. Get a good lens and get a variable. After market is the way to go probably. Tamron makes a 28-300 I'd sure look at. May only be a Tamron but take's better photo's than I can! I think Sigma makes something like a 16-300 too. Beauty of those type lens's is really you only need one lens. Of course if your gonna go into business you might want something more expensive. WOW's people. But the vast majority of people don't know a good photo from a bad one! The only thing most can compare it to is a photo in one hand and nothing in the other!

I'd love to be able to afford and justify some of those expensive lens's!
 
I have been researching this same thing. Since I hunt out west and would like to video out there where I'd need more auto focus and tripod use, I also hunt eastern whitetails. Normally in a tree stand and on a camera arm. However I need a camera that has the ability to take a remote for one handed operation. I hate to spend money but it looks like a good DSLR or mirrorless camera with lenses for out west and an actual HD cam corder for Whitetail. Secondary cameras like GoPro and be universal however I generally use Spy Point. They love hunting and hunters, not that I see a big difference in quality.
 

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